Here’s what’s involved with opening a mercantile and restaurant: floorplan, fixtures, products, kitchen, furniture, lighting, heating/air, menu, packaging, staff…and approximately forty thousand million other things!
The fingerprints on my laptop: Please don’t disown me. I have to be me. And I like to snack.
Anyway, there’s been a lot of digging in these days.
Buying things for “the merc” (its unofficial nickname, because it’s shorter than “mercantile” and we say the word so much we’re trying to conserve our oxygen) has been unbelievably fun. I will have PW products there, of course, but there will be much, much more there, too—and I have found that I am as picky and selective for what is “merc-worthy” as I have been about what winds up in my own line.
I’m a middle child and I want everything to be cool, pretty, awesome, interesting, unique, and (in a handful of cases) weird.
In fact, I should just call the place Middle Child Mercantile, because all of my childhood issues are coming into play with every decision I make.
Speaking of middle children…Hi, Paige!!!
And that’s the fun part. Paige has been helping me. The boys have been helping me. Hyacinth and her future daughter-in-law have been helping me in unbelievable, innumerable ways. I have another person helping me—I’ll introduce you to him soon. He’s neato and indispensable. A fun development! It’s been a close-knit friend and family affair, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And, of course…Marlboro Man helps me.
Correction: Marlboro Man tickles me.
“Can we please get to work now?”
My expression says it all. Ha!
It’s hard to work with this man sometimes…
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
